After two arrows outside the 10, elite women archers recover less than men on the next arrow
1 study · archers measured
The summary today
There is a single study, and it works on a large archive: 19,122 arrows from recurve head-to-head matches, collected in 6,374 three-arrow ends across the London, Rio and Tokyo Olympics, the 2021 World Championships and a European Grand Prix. After two arrows outside the 10 the third goes worse for everybody, about 12 per cent lower than when the first two are 10s, and this holds for men and women alike. The difference between the sexes lies in how much is recovered: in the same situation the men's third arrow is worth 3.5 per cent more than the women's, while overall the last arrow of the end does not differ between men and women. The gap also widens by 2.4 per cent when the end has to be won to avoid elimination. It is an observational analysis of results that already existed: it says that in the competition archives the drop after two arrows outside the 10 is sharper in women, not why it happens, and it has never been replicated.
Also phrased as: "cold hand in archery"; "recovering after a mistake"; "third arrow after two misses"; "gender differences under pressure in archery"
In practice
It is said that after two bad arrows the third is shot with the mind still on the first two, and that archers who can let go of the mistake straight away rescue the end.
Evidence
-
2024
For Archers Published later
Quasi-Poisson regression on the third arrow of 6,374 ends from elite recurve head-to-head matches, 2012 to 2021: the interaction between sex and two previous arrows outside the 10 is β=0.035 (interval 0.01 to 0.06), t=2.75, p<0.01 in the table. In the same situation the men's third arrow is worth about 3.5 per cent more. The number of archers is not reported.
Gender differences in skilled performance under failure competitive environments: evidence from elite archers · Chunhua Li, Yangqing Zhao
-
2024
Context Archers Published later
In the same archive the drop after two arrows outside the 10 affects everybody: the third arrow is worth about 12.2 per cent less than after two 10s (eβ=0.878, interval 0.86 to 0.90, t=-12.862, p<0.001), whatever the sex, level, match situation, shooting order and type of event.
Gender differences in skilled performance under failure competitive environments: evidence from elite archers · Chunhua Li, Yangqing Zhao
-
2024
Context Archers Published later
Overall the last arrow of the end does not differ between men and women (t=1.214, p=0.225). The gap appears only in two situations: after two arrows outside the 10, and when the end has to be won to avoid elimination, where it widens by 2.4 per cent.
Gender differences in skilled performance under failure competitive environments: evidence from elite archers · Chunhua Li, Yangqing Zhao
Status history
- 2024 Reported The first and only study takes ten years of elite recurve head-to-head matches, 19,122 arrows, and looks at the third arrow of each end. After two arrows outside the 10 the third drops for everybody, by about 12 per cent; in the same situation the men's is worth 3.5 per cent more than the women's, while overall the last arrow does not separate the sexes. It is observational data from competition archives, large but indirect, and nobody has replicated it: reported.
Related
Related articles
- Choking in archery: how common it is, who it happens to and what goes with itHow many archers say they fall apart in competition, what those who choke most often have in common, and how much pressure costs on measured scores.
- Women and archery: score, strength, the menstrual cycle and competition anxietyScore, strength, the menstrual cycle and competition anxiety: what studies have measured in male and female archers, and how much the results weigh.
- Repeatability and consistency: measuring the steadiness of your shotHow repeatable an archer's shot is: what studies say about level, good and bad days, arrows outside the 10, and how to measure consistency on the range.
Research lines
Cite
Campagna, M. (2026). After two arrows outside the 10, elite women archers recover less than men on the next arrow (Version 1). In Evidence Registry. Retrieved 16 October 2026, from https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/mind/recovery-after-two-arrows-outside-the-10
@misc{campagna2026_recuperodopofreccescadenti,
author = {Campagna, Matteo},
title = {After two arrows outside the 10, elite women archers recover less than men on the next arrow},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {Evidence Registry, matteocampagna.com},
url = {https://matteocampagna.com/en/registry/mind/recovery-after-two-arrows-outside-the-10},
note = {Version 1; accessed 2026-10-16}
}
Follow this claim
RSS is an address you paste into a feed reader: each time this claim changes status, adds a year to its history or is revised, a new item appears there.
Registry updates by email
At most one email a month, sent only when something has changed: claims that change status, new claims, Lab predictions registered or resolved, new studies and new books.
Sign-ups are handled by Systeme.io, the service that runs the newsletter. Every email has a link to unsubscribe with one click.
Other claims in this domain
- ReportedA larger working memory does not make an archer more accurate3 studies · 79 archers measuredStatus since 2012
- ReportedA longer quiet eye improves shooting accuracy3 studies · 58 archers measuredStatus since 2017
- ReportedA mental profile tells archers apart from athletes in other sports only in part5 studies · 550 archers measuredStatus since 2018
- ReportedA mental training programme improves the elite archer's mood1 study · 16 archers measuredStatus since 2023
- ReportedA mental training programme reduces burnout in elite archers1 study · 16 archers measuredStatus since 2023